MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – 01 Oct, 2015 – Wednesday September 2nd witnessed the launch of global female empowerment campaign ‘Make My Voice Matter’, an unprecedented female-driven, interactive event created to raise women’s voices in solidarity for female empowerment and gender equality around the world. Streamed on YouTube Live, which reaches 1 billion viewers across 70 countries, in real-time from the Googleplex – Google’s famed Silicon Valley headquarters – Make My Voice Matter united several of the world’s most prestigious women’s rights organizations, including UN Women (HeForShe) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California together with the support of acclaimed musical artists and stars from film and television, all designed to inspire 100 million women worldwide to make their voices matter using #MakeMyVoiceMatter, #2030NOW, #action2015 across multiple social media platforms – and powered by Google.

Celebritiessuch as Paula Abdul, Rose McGowan, Paul Young, Draco Rosa, Andie MacDowell & Aimee Mullins came out to voicesupport for the event on Twitter & Facebook reaching millions of fans in the weeks leading up to the campaign launch.

To help empower women to raise their voices and elevate the global conversation on gender equality, the Google-hosted event engaged the services of Gary Catona, the acclaimed voice trainer to the world’s top entertainers. Known as the “Maestro of Voice,” Catona’s method has helped major singers and actors including Andrea Bocelli, Steven Tyler, Shirley MacLaine, Lorde, Katy Perry, Seal, Usher, Shakira, Kevin Spacey, Mark Wahlberg, Pharrell Williams and Whitney Houston build their voices for stage and screen. (garycatona.com)

For the first time ever, the Make My Voice Matter global event showcased Catona’s voice-building secrets for everyone tuned-in to experience – previously reserved only for the ‘celebrity elite’ – to help women and girls throughout the world raise their voices – and be heard.

Make My Voice Matter is a stirring two-part presentation. For Act One, the event launched at Google HQ where viewers had a front-row seat to the first-ever live performance of the song ‘My Voice Matters’ in a ‘teach the world to sing along’ experience debuted by award-winning entertainer Aubrey Logan. Downloads of the song are helping to raise funds for millions of disenfranchised women and children in more than 100 countries. Before the sing-along, Gary Catona gave the biggest-live ‘global voice lesson’ in Google’s history as he took all those watching the YouTube Live stream through the exact same exercises that he has used with all of his famous students, from Whitney Houston to Andrea Bocelli to Steven Tyler and numerous other Superstars.

Go to www.MakeMyVoiceMatter.org to watch Google’s ‘Live’ sing-along performed on September 2nd and download the song ‘My Voice Matters’ to help raise funds for the charity partners. The song is now available on Googleplay & iTunes.

For Act Two, in early October, 2015, visitors can watch the full “My Voice Matters Panel Discussion” on YouTube’s ‘Talks at Google’ channel and join millions of viewers around the world to watch an unprecedented female panel discuss the current state of women’s empowerment and gender equality. Google Moderator, Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink, will host the following female cultural influencers: Aimee Mullins, Women’s Advocate-Paralympian-Actress-Model; Melissa Goodman, ACLU SoCal Gender Equality & LBGTQ Director; Oisika Chakrabarti, senior representative of UN Women who launched the HeForShe campaign (made famous by Emma Watson); Arlette Nkurayija, Rwandan genocide survivor, lawyer and president of the Women and Children Embassy & entrepreneur Hala Kazim, Women’s Advocate in the Middle East, Awarded UAE Business Woman of the Year in 2013.

The producers of Make My Voice Matter invite the public to get involved by sharing #MakeMyVoiceMatter #2030NOW & #action2015 on their social media platforms and help elevate the global conversation around female empowerment and gender equality.

“I am happy to kick off this broader conversation on issues of gender equality and empowerment. Honestly, I can’t imagine a more qualified group of women to be having this conversation with,” said Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink – Principal at Google.org & Make My Voice Matter moderator.

The event organisers are extremely excited to present Make My Voice Matter to a global audience as a groundbreaking, high-profile initiative designed to raise awareness for female empowerment and gender equality. We are proud to unite officials from our prestigious partners: UN Women, ACLU SoCal, Hala Kazim, Women & Children Embassy, favorite entertainers, Gary Catona and Aimee Mullins, who will join forces to lift the voices of women throughout all four corners of the world. The time to act for gender equality is now.

About the Producers:

The event is created & produced by Maestro Presents, a California production company focused on global social enterprise projects & was hosted by Google Inc. The event was managed by Talk Enterprises in asociation with Above & Beyond Distribution – both based in Quebec, Canada.